From the 5 until 7 September the massive Dusseldorf Trade Fair Centre (Messe Dusseldorf ) will become the centre of the business travel world. With the events of early August still very much in peoples minds, and the effects very much with us, this gathering of Europe's travel industry is a very visible signal that whilst outside forces do cause disruptions we just tend to live with it. This year”s show, the third, has attracted some 120 exhibitors is set to top one thousand per day visitors of 2005.
A resurgence of the German economy is clearly helping, but the results of the initial show, when things were not so good, and its follow up last year clearly demonstrated a demand for such an exhibition.
Security is bound to be much discussed as is the increasing development of the executive jet business and the emerging ”C” class only airline operations, a move pioneered by Lufthansa with its Munich and Dusseldorf-North American services.
One word of warning for British visitors. The seminars are all in German. However, English is very much the lingua franca for European commerce. If English is your only language it is no embarrassment. You will be understood by most.
Dusseldorf is very accessible from London and most major European cities for the day. BA and LH fly from Heathrow, and LH again from City. Air Berlin has three times daily flights from Stansted. The airport is less than two miles from the Dusseldorf Trade Fair Centre.
You can reach the venue in a few minutes by taking bus No. 896 or a taxi. The Business Travel Show is at the South entrance of the exhibition centre. If you are already in the city take the underground train to the East Entrance of Messe Dusseldorf. From there you can reach the South entrance of Hall 1, either by walking or by bus No. 722.
The show itself cover some 3000 sq m in a single hall and opens at 0930 each day running until 1700. It is well served by restaurants, bars and lounges. The show itself covers a whole multitude of business travel related companies including those involved with air charter, airlines, airports, business travel agents, travel management companies, car rental, chauffeur drive, conference & incentive management, consular services, credit/charge cards, global distribution systems, hotel booking agencies, hotels, serviced apartments, parking, rail travel, rail travel and booking agents. A programme of seminars and panel discussions will cover much ground in the world of business travel. In 2005 attendance topped 2,500.
The Dusselfdorf Trade Fair Centre is about five miles north west of the city. D”sseldorf's name means "the village on the Dussel".
However, with a population of approximately 600,000 and status of capital of North Rhine Westfalia, nobody would dare refer to it as a village any longer. As for the D”ssel, it is nowadays greatly overshadowed by the Rhine, one of Europe's most important waterways.
It dates from the 13th century has been at loggerheads with Cologne, just a few miles south down the river. Rivals over the centuries the citizens tend to argue over the relative merits of Alt and Kulsch beers rather than resorting to medieval violence against each other.
Dusseldorf lies on the edge of Germany”s industrial heartlands of the Rhein Ruhr triangle, but many parts of the city have escaped
modernisation and industrialisation. Although situated within the most damaged region of Germany during WWII it has managed to retain more of its old character than could be expected. The sub-centre of Kaiserswerth is a case in point boasting medieval features and has the air of a traditional German village rather than a suburb of a major city. The Altstadt district is a beautiful example of a medieval German town. Punctuated with the twisted spire of St Lambertus it is easy to lose yourself among the centuries of history contained within the narrow winding alleys and secluded squares here. It is also the home of more than 260 restaurants and inns, and has often been called ”the longest bar in the world”. Notable buildings in Dusseldorf, known as one of the most elegant cities in Germany, include St Lambert's Church (begun 13th century), the Jagerhof Castle (now housing a museum of 20th century painting), and several modern office blocks. The city is the site of the National Academy of Art, birthplace of the mid-19th century Dusseldorf school of art. Paul Klee and Joseph Beuys taught there.
Among Dusseldorf's many other cultural facilities are the Art Collection, with fine displays of 20th century painting, including the largest collection of works by Klee in Germany, and works by Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, Georges Braque, Piet Mondrian and Marc Chagall, among others; the Hetjens Museum, with a large collection of ceramics covering 8,000 years of pottery; a museum devoted to the life and work of the writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; and a university (1965). The poet Heinrich Heine spent his youth in Dusseldorf. The city's Heine Institute is devoted to research on his life and work. Composer Robert Schumann was conductor of the city orchestra from 1850 to 1854; he and his wife, pianist Clara Schumann, are buried here.
One innovation, which is likely to be repeated at the Earls Court Business Travel Show in London next February, is the BTS Innovation Award. This will recognise visionary companies, who have innovative products and services on the business travel market. All business travel suppliers, regardless of whether they are exhibiting at the Business Travel Show, can enter their own or nominate other innovative products and services in the business travel market. Prerequisite for the entries is the development or launch of the product or service between July 2005 and July 2006. The entrants have to have shown a positive effect on the business travel market or for business travellers, travel managers or bookings of business travel.
http://www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de
http://www.businesstravelshow.de